GameSpot had a little sit-down session with one of Bethesda's Fallout 3 designers, Al Nanes. He spoke primarily about what gamers can expect from the third downloadable content release. In addition, a number of new screenshots were shown off from the DLC.
GS: Can you describe the new geography? Will players access new locations from the original map or transport there by other means?
AN: Actually we have a little of both! In Broken Steel, players will be able to experience some new content in old locations as well as being transported to brand-new locations.
GS: Some of the new weapons and enemies we've heard about are a heavy incinerator flamethrower and a super mutant overlord. Can we take this to mean the action will favor heavy-weapon combat in the way Operation Anchorage focused on ranged shooting?
AN: The new enemies and the new weapons are present to provide a challenge to the higher-level players. We didn't want to simply crank up the statistics of the same old enemies and call it a day; we wanted to create brand-new versions of them to give players a real sense of progression. A great example is the aforementioned super mutant overlord. He's a huge brute, but we wanted to give him a powerful ranged attack as well. None of the existing weapons seemed to fit the bill, so we've created the tri-beam laser rifle, which is an extremely powerful ranged laser shotgun. This item will be fully recoverable and usable by the player. Broken Steel is certainly filled with plenty of combat, but no more than the original Fallout 3. Unlike Operation Anchorage, we are not shuttling you directly through the entire story without stopping. You can take your time with Broken Steel and experience all of the changes we've provided to the Capital Wasteland.
Broken Steel also raises the level cap from 20 to 30 for gamers, something that was quite desired by all Fallout 3 fans. There's more information contained in the full interview. Simply head on over to GameSpot for the full read.
AN: Actually we have a little of both! In Broken Steel, players will be able to experience some new content in old locations as well as being transported to brand-new locations.
GS: Some of the new weapons and enemies we've heard about are a heavy incinerator flamethrower and a super mutant overlord. Can we take this to mean the action will favor heavy-weapon combat in the way Operation Anchorage focused on ranged shooting?
AN: The new enemies and the new weapons are present to provide a challenge to the higher-level players. We didn't want to simply crank up the statistics of the same old enemies and call it a day; we wanted to create brand-new versions of them to give players a real sense of progression. A great example is the aforementioned super mutant overlord. He's a huge brute, but we wanted to give him a powerful ranged attack as well. None of the existing weapons seemed to fit the bill, so we've created the tri-beam laser rifle, which is an extremely powerful ranged laser shotgun. This item will be fully recoverable and usable by the player. Broken Steel is certainly filled with plenty of combat, but no more than the original Fallout 3. Unlike Operation Anchorage, we are not shuttling you directly through the entire story without stopping. You can take your time with Broken Steel and experience all of the changes we've provided to the Capital Wasteland.